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President Donald Trump Live

The presidency of Donald Trump began at noon EST on January 20, 2017, the day that Donald Trump became the 45th President of the United States, succeeding Barack Obama. Trump, a Republican, was a businessman from New York City at the time of his victory in the 2016 presidential election over Democrat Hillary Clinton. His running mate, former Governor Mike Pence of Indiana, took office as the 48th Vice President of the United States on the same day. At age 70, Trump is the oldest person to assume the presidency, and the first without prior government or military experience. Trump's term in office is set to end on January 20, 2021, and he is eligible to be elected to a second term.

During his time in office, Trump has issued several consequential presidential orders and memoranda, including Executive Order 13769, which suspended the admission of refugees into the United States. Trump also nominated Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court and has appointed numerous executive branch officials. Several of Trump's nominees, including Gorsuch, remain before the United States Senate.

Election 2016

The Republican ticket of businessman Donald Trump of New York and Governor Mike Pence of Indiana won the 2016 election, defeating the Democratic ticket of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of New York and Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia. Trump won 304 electoral votes compared to Clinton's 227, though Clinton won a plurality of the popular vote.

Trump is the fifth person to win the presidency but lose the popular vote, after John Quincy Adams (1824), Rutherford B. Hayes (1876), Benjamin Harrison (1888), and George W. Bush (2000). Although Republicans lost a net of two seats in the Senate elections and six seats in the House elections, they maintained their majorities in both houses for the 115th Congress. Trump claimed that massive amounts of voter fraud in Clinton's favor occurred during the election, and he called for a major investigation after taking office.

After the election, Republican Mitch McConnell of Kentucky retained his position as Senate Majority Leader, while Democrat Chuck Schumer of New York replaced the retiring Harry Reid of Nevada as Senate Minority Leader. Democrat Nancy Pelosi retained her position as House Minority Leader, while Republican Paul Ryan retained his position as Speaker of the House.

Donald Trumps Cabinet

Days after the presidential election, Trump announced that he had selected RNC Chairman Reince Priebus as his Chief of Staff, a position that does not require Senate confirmation. Priebus and Senior Counselor Steve Bannon were named as "equal partners" within the White House power structure, although Bannon will not be a member of the Cabinet. Aside from the vice president and the chief of staff, the remaining Cabinet-level positions require Senate confirmation.

On November 18, Trump announced his first Cabinet designee, choosing Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions for the position of Attorney General. Trump continued to name designees for various positions in November, December, and January. Former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue was announced as the nominee for Secretary of Agriculture on January 19, completing Trump's initial slate of Cabinet nominees. Trump is the first incoming president to benefit from the 2013 filibuster reform, which eased the use of cloture on executive and lower-level judicial nominees, reducing the amount required to invoke from an absolute supermajority of three-fifths to a bare majority.

By February 8, 2017, President Trump had fewer cabinet nominees confirmed than any other president except George Washington by the same length of time into his presidency. On February 8, 2017, President Trump formally announced his cabinet structure, elevating the Director of National Intelligence and Director of the CIA to cabinet level. The Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, which had been added to the cabinet added by Obama in 2009, was removed from the cabinet. Once all cabinet positions are filled, Trump's cabinet will consist of 24 members – the most since Bill Clinton.

The following have been named as Cabinet appointees by the President. For other high-level positions, see the list of Donald Trump political appointments.

Cabinet of President Donald J. Trump

Individual officially confirmed by a full Senate vote

Individual took office with no Senate consent needed

Individual's nomination officially reported by Senate committee

Individual was rejected by either a Senate committee or a full Senate vote

Individual's nomination pending Senate committee confirmation

Cabinet members

OfficeDate announced / confirmed

Designee

OfficeDate announced / confirmed

Designee

—
Vice PresidentAnnounced July 15, 2016
Took office January 20, 2017

Former GovernorMike Pencefrom Indiana

—
Secretary of StateAnnounced December 13, 2016
Took office February 1, 2017

Former ExxonMobil CEORex Tillersonfrom Texas

—
Secretary of the TreasuryAnnounced November 30, 2016
Took office February 13, 2017

Former OneWest Bank CEOSteven Mnuchinfrom California

—
Secretary of DefenseAnnounced December 1, 2016
Took office January 20, 2017

—
Secretary of the InteriorAnnounced December 15, 2016
Took office March 1, 2017

Former RepresentativeRyan Zinkefrom Montana

—
Secretary of AgricultureAnnounced January 18, 2017
Took office April 25, 2017

Former GovernorSonny Perduefrom Georgia

—
Secretary of CommerceAnnounced November 30, 2016
Took office February 28, 2017

Wilbur Rossfrom Florida

—
Secretary of LaborAnnounced February 16, 2017
Took office April 28, 2017

Former U.S. AttorneyAlex Acostafrom Florida

—
Secretary of Health and Human ServicesAnnounced November 29, 2016
Took office February 10, 2017

Former RepresentativeTom Pricefrom Georgia

—
Secretary of Housing and Urban DevelopmentAnnounced December 5, 2016
Took office March 2, 2017

Ben Carsonfrom Florida

—
Secretary of TransportationAnnounced November 29, 2016
Took office January 31, 2017

Former SecretaryElaine Chaofrom Kentucky

—
Secretary of EnergyAnnounced December 14, 2016
Took office March 2, 2017

Former GovernorRick Perryfrom Texas

—
Secretary of EducationAnnounced November 23, 2016
Took office February 7, 2017

Betsy DeVosfrom Michigan

—
Secretary of Veterans AffairsAnnounced January 11, 2017
Took office February 14, 2017

Former Under SecretaryDavid Shulkinfrom Pennsylvania

—
Secretary of Homeland SecurityAnnounced December 7, 2016
Took office January 20, 2017

Retired General (USMC)John F. Kellyfrom Virginia

Cabinet-level officials

OfficeDate announced / confirmed

Designee

OfficeDate announced / confirmed

Designee

—
White House Chief of StaffAnnounced November 13, 2016
Took office January 20, 2017

Former RNC ChairmanReince Priebusfrom Wisconsin

—
United States Trade RepresentativeAnnounced January 3, 2017
Took office May 15, 2017

Former Deputy USTRRobert Lighthizerfrom Florida

—
Director of National IntelligenceAnnounced January 7, 2017
Took office March 16, 2017

Former SenatorDan Coatsfrom Indiana

—
Ambassador to the United NationsAnnounced November 23, 2016
Took office January 27, 2017

Former GovernorNikki Haleyfrom South Carolina

—
Director of the
Office of Management and BudgetAnnounced December 16, 2016
Took office February 16, 2017

Former RepresentativeMick Mulvaneyfrom South Carolina

—
Director of the Central Intelligence AgencyAnnounced November 18, 2016
Took office January 23, 2017

Former RepresentativeMike Pompeofrom Kansas

—
Administrator of the
Environmental Protection AgencyAnnounced December 7, 2016
Took office February 17, 2017

Former Attorney GeneralScott Pruittfrom Oklahoma

—
Administrator of the
Small Business AdministrationAnnounced December 7, 2016
Took office February 14, 2017

Former WWE CEOLinda McMahonfrom Connecticut

Source: Trump Administration and NPR

Confirmation process timeline

Cabinet Confirmation Process

PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP

WHITE HOUSE STAFF

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President Trump's White House Staff PDF

Chief of Staff- Reince Priebus - head of the RNC

Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Adviser to the Chief of Staff- Sean Cairncross - Republican National Committee Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Executive Director and General Counsel to the National Republican Senatorial Committee for two cycles (2009-2012)

Director of the Office of Chief of Staff - Michael Ambrosini

Special Assistant to the President and Executive Assistant to the Chief of Staff- Mallory Hunter

Deputy Chief of Staff - Katie Walsh - Chief of Staff at the Republican National Committee

Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations - Joe Hagin - Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations in the George W. Bush White House

Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy- Rick Dearborn – former top aide to Sen. Jeff Sessions (R- AL) and nominee for Attorney General

Senior White House Advisor- Jared Kushner – Son-in-law; CEO of Kushner Companies and publisher of the New York Observer

Special Assistant to the President and Assistant to the Senior Advisor - Avrahm (Avi) Berkowitz

Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor to the President for Policy - Stephen Miller - Responsible for directing White House policy staff, managing speechwriting functions, and working to ensure the enactment of the President’s policy agenda. Served throughout as the campaign’s chief speechwriter, and is currently the policy director for the President-elect’s Transition Team; served as a key advisor to several members of Congress, including U.S. Senator from Alabama Jeff Sessions, and served in senior leadership roles on both the Senate Budget Committee and Senate Judiciary Committee.

Office of the Senior Advisor to the President for Policy, Staff Announcements:

Director of Policy and Inter-agency Coordination- Carlos Diaz-Rosillo - has been serving on the President-elect’s Transition Team as Policy Implementation Executive Authority Advisor and White House Lead. He has been a member of the faculty of government at Harvard University for more than eight years.

Advisor for Policy, Strategy and Speechwriting- Vince Haley - longtime associate of former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich. He served as policy director and later campaign manager of Gingrich’s 2012 presidential campaign. During the President-elect’s campaign, Mr. Haley developed ethics reform policies.

Advisor for Policy, Strategy and Speechwriting- Ross Worthington - longtime aide to former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich. He served as research director for Gingrich, deputy communications director for Gingrich’s 2012 presidential campaign and later as Gingrich’s primary writer. During the campaign, Mr. Worthington, together with Mr. Vince Haley, worked to formulate and communicate policies that advanced the Trump agenda.

Advisor for Policy Development and Speechwriting- Ryan Jarmula - served as a member of Vice President-elect Mike Pence’s staff for a number of years. As a member of then-Congressman Pence’s Capitol Hill office, he handled a variety of issues including foreign affairs, and later served Pence in his capacity
as Governor of the State of Indiana as Policy Director for Veterans Affairs and most recently as Speechwriter. During the campaign, Mr. Jarmula worked on Stephen Miller’s staff and had an active role in policy development.

Advisor for Policy - Entrepreneurship, Economic Growth and the

Empowerment of Women - Dina Powell, a Goldman Sachs partner, and previously served as the chief of the personnel office in the White House under President George W. Bush.

Special Assistant to the Senior Advisor - Robert Gabriel - served as policy advisor on the President-elect’s campaign and assisted the National Policy Director in policy development, speechwriting functions, and staff management.

Director of Strategic Initiatives - Chris Liddell - previously a CFO at Microsoft and General Motors, as well as the executive director of Mitt Romney’s 2012 transition planning team.

Domestic Policy Council

Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council- Andrew Bromberg - worked at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from 2001 to 2009, including serving as the Chief of Staff for the Office of Public Health and Science. He later served as Policy Advisor and Counsel on Nominations for Senator Mitch McConnell. He worked as the Policy Director for the 2016 Republican Party Platform. He now works in a lead policy and administrative role on the Presidential Transition Team.

Deputy Director of the Domestic Policy Council and Director of Budget

Policy - Paul Winfree - Director of the Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies, the Center for Data Analysis and the Richard F. Aster Research Fellow, all at The Heritage Foundation. Prior to joining Heritage, Mr. Winfree was the Director of Income Security on the U.S. Senate Committee on the Budget.

Healthcare Policy - Katy Talento - an infectious disease epidemiologist with nearly 20 years of experience in public health and health policy, as well as government oversight and investigations and program evaluation, served on the campaign since July 2016. Ms. Talento has spent 12 years in the U.S. Senate, working for five Senators and two committees.

Urban Affairs and Revitalization - Ja’Ron K. Smith - served as a Congressional staff member for nearly a decade. Smith served the House Republican Conference legislative staff under then-Chairman Mike Pence prior to joining the Republican Study Committee to serve on the professional policy staff under Congressman Jim Jordan. He later served as Economic Advisor to Senator Tim Scott and currently works as the Director of External Affairs for Generation Opportunity.

Education Policy - Rob Goad - currently serves on the Presidential Transition as the education lead for the implementation of the President-elect’s education policy agenda. Prior to developing education policy for the President-elect’s successful campaign, Mr. Goad served as a Senior Policy Advisor to House Policy Committee Chair Luke Messer focusing on education issues. He also played a pivotal role advancing school choice policies as Director of the Congressional School Choice Caucus.

Justice and Homeland Security Policy - John Zadrozny - worked for the past six years on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, and the Senate Committee on the Judiciary for Senator Ted Cruz. Prior to working on Capitol Hill, he served in the Office of National Drug Control Policy and the Department of State.

Regulatory Reform, Legal and Immigration Policy - Zina Bash - currently serves as the Executive Vice President of Operations and Business Development at Doctors’ Hospital at Renaissance.. Her previous positions include Deputy Director of Policy and Communications for Senator Ted Cruz’s presidential campaign and Senior Counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee in Senator John Cornyn’s office. Ms. Bash also practiced law as an appellate attorney at international law firm Gibson Dunn, & Crutcher LLP. Ms. Bash also served as a law clerk to Justice Samuel Alito of the U.S.. Supreme Court and Judge Brett Kavanaugh of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

Senior Policy Analyst - Peter White -has worked at the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission. Most recently, Mr. White served as Legislative Counsel for Congressman Mo Brooks. Licensed to practice law in the District of Columbia, Mr. White is an active member of the Federalist Society and performs pro bono legal for the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless.

Assistant to the President and White House Counsel – Donald F. McGahn - Partner at Jones Day in Washington, DC, and has specialized in political law, including government ethics; served as a member of the FEC five years, during which he served as both chairman and vice chairman)

Counselor to the President - Kellyanne Conway - founder and owner of The Polling Company, inc./WomanTrend, a polling and research firm that for 21 years has served leading political figures, nonprofits and companies.

Assistant to the President and Director of Legislative Affairs- Marc Short - Previously worked as a top operative running the expansive political network of billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, is a longtime adviser to Pence. He was chief of staff to Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas and Pence, when he was in the House. During the 2016 campaign, Short worked as an adviser for Sen. Marco Rubio during the primaries and later as a senior adviser for Pence during the general election.

Special Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs - Alexander Angelson

Assistant to the President and Director of Presidential Personnel - John DeStefano - Longtime political aide to former House Speaker John Boehner who helped the RNC build a 2016 voter file and political database.

Assistant to the President and Director of Communications for the Office of Public Liaison - Omarosa Manigault - Contestant on The Apprentice, and worked in the office of Vice President Al Gore during the Clinton administration.

Assistant to the President for Intragovernmental and Technology Initiatives - Reed Cordish - principal and partner of the Cordish Companies and president of Entertainment Consulting International.

Assistant to President and Chief of Staff to the Vice President- Josh Pitcock - Long-time aide who most recently served as Indiana’s lobbyist in Washington.

Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Oval Office Operations - Keith Schiller - Trump's security chief for the last 16 years and a retired NYPD detective.

Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Advance - George Gigicos - He was Donald Trump’s director of advance operations. Founded and became president of Telion Corp. The company associated with political and religious entities, associations, corporations and with the government to successfully assist in the management of their conferences, meetings, incentive programs and special events. The company’s expertise in communication strategies, crisis management, VIP and political advance operations and logistical support further assists their clients in being relevant.

Deputy Assistant to the President and Political Director- Bill Stepien - Former deputy chief of staff to Gov. Christie during the George Washington Bridge scandal.. He later became national field director for Trump’s presidential campaign.

Deputy Assistant to the President and Cabinet Secretary - Bill McGinley - A partner at law firm Jones Day.

Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Intergovernmental Affairs - Justin Clark - Deputy national political director of Donald J. Trump’s presidential campaign/

Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff to the Vice President - Jen Pavlik - Worked as an aide to Pence during his time in Congress and as Indiana’s governor.

Special Assistant to the President and Personal Aide to the President- John McEntee - A production assistant at Fox News before joining the Trump campaign in 2015. He served as campaign trip director, overseeing preparations for campaign events.

Executive Assistant to the President- Madeleine Westerhout – Assistant to the Chief of Staff at the Republican National Committee.

Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Press Secretary - Stephanie Grisham - spokeswoman for the Republicans in the Arizona House of Representatives; prior to that, she worked as the spokeswoman for Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne.

Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Press Secretary and Advisor to the Press

Strategic Communications Director - Hope Hicks - Began working for the public relations firm Zeno Group. She then moved to Hiltzik Strategies in New York City. While at Hiltzik, she "began working on accounts related to Trump’s vast real estate, hospitality and fashion ventures." She then moved to the Trump Organization in 2014.

Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Communications Director and Research

Director- Raj Shah - Currently the Research Director and Deputy Communications Director at the Republican National Committee and also the Managing Director of America Rising, a company that provides research to candidates.

Assistant Communications Director for Surrogate Operations- Boris Epshteyn - spokesman for the inauguration planning effort; communications aide with the McCain-Palin campaign. While at the campaign, he was a key part of a rapid response task force which concentrated on issues related to the Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin.

Special Assistant to the President and Assistant Communications Director - Steven Cheung,

Special Assistant to the President and Director of Media Affairs - Helen Aguirre Ferre - spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee.

Special Assistant to the President and Assistant Communications Director for White

House Message Strategy - Cliff Sims - founder and CEO of Yellowhammer, Alabama’s conservative news website; previously served as a communications advisor for the Trump campaign.

Office of the Director of National Intelligence– Director – Former Senator Dan Coats (R-IN) - Served for years on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and previously on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Homeland Security Advisor- Thomas Bossert - Currently a fellow at the Atlantic Council's Cyber Statecraft Initiative;" deputy homeland security adviser in the last year of the Bush administration, when he helped draft the federal government's first cybersecurity strategy; and o spent two years as the White House director of infrastructure protection policy.

Director - Peter Navarro - University of California-Irvine Associate Professor, Paul Merage School of Business

Deputy Director for the Defense Industrial Base —Alexander Gray - Currently a member of the U.S. Department of State Landing Team for the Presidential Transition, focusing on Asia- Pacific issues. Previously, he served as Senior Defense Advisor to the Trump-Pence campaign, on Stephen Miller’s policy staff and working with Peter Navarro, helping to craft the campaign’s plan to rebuild the U.S. military and the defense industrial base. Mr. Gray has also served as Senior Advisor to U.S. Congressman J. Randy Forbes, a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, focusing on defense industrial base issues and Asia-Pacific security.

Deputy Director for “Buy American, Hire American”- Rolf Lundberg - During the Presidentelect’s campaign and Presidential Transition, Mr. Lundberg worked underneath Stephen Miller and Peter Navarro, and focused his efforts on policies to reverse the economic injustice of offshoring and used his experience and insights to challenge special interests and support the President-elect’s “Buy American, Hire American” project. Mr. Lundberg was Senior Vice President for Congressional and Public Affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, after serving as Assistant General Counsel and Vice President for International Relations with Marriott International, Inc. Mr. Lundberg served as Legal Counsel for Tax and International Trade to Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, International Trade Counsel to Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Import Administration in the George H.W. Bush Administration and International Trade Counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance.

Special Representative for International Negotiations - Jason Greenblatt - Chief legal officer and an executive vice president at the Trump Organization; he has advised Mr. Trump on a range of business and legal affairs, both domestic and international, for two decades.

Special Advisor to the President on Regulatory Reform - Carl Icahn – Founder and majority shareholder of Icahn Enterprises, a diversified conglomerate holding company based in New York City, formerly known as American Real Estate Partners. He is also Chairman of Federal-Mogul, an American developer, manufacturer and supplier of powertrain components and vehicle safety products. He will be advising the President in his individual capacity and will not be serving as a federal employee or a Special Government Employee and will not have any specific duties.

VICE PRESIDENTIAL STAFF

Assistant to President and Chief of Staff to the Vice President - Josh Pitcock - Long-time aide who most recently served as Indiana’s lobbyist in Washington)

Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff to the Vice President - Jen Pavlik - Worked as an aide to Pence during his time in Congress and as Indiana’s governor.

Secretary of Defense – Gen. James Mattis, USMC - 11th Commander of United States Central Command, the Unified Combatant Command responsible for American military operations in the Middle East, Northeast Africa and Central Asia.

Secretary of the Army - Vincent “Vinnie” Viola - Former U.S. Army infantry officer and current Virtu Financial Founder and Executive Chairman.

Secretary of Veterans Affairs– Dr. David J. Shulkin - current Undersecretary for Health at the Department of Veterans Affairs

Director, Central Intelligence Agency– Cong. Mike Pompeo (Kansas)

Attorney General – Sen. Jeff Sessions (Alabama)

Deputy Attorney General - Rod J. Rosenstein - U.S. attorney in Baltimore and the longestserving U.S. attorney - sole holdover U.S. attorney from the George W. Bush administration who is still in office

Small Business Administration, Administrator- Linda McMahon - Co-founder and former chief executive officer of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)

United States Trade Representative- Robert Lighthizer - Served under President Ronald Reagan as Deputy United States Trade Representative; Chief of Staff of the United States Senate Committee of Finance when Congress passed the Reagan program of tax cuts and spending reductions, and also aided in the passage of legislation which implemented the Tokyo Round of trade negotiations. He has also represented the United States at meetings of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and meetings related to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (the precursor to the World Trade Organization). He has headed up the international trade law practice at Skadden, Arps Slate, Meagher and Flom.

1Appointed by Barack Obama; term ends in January/February 2018,[33] and Trump intends to "most likely" appoint a replacement.[34]

2Appointed by Barack Obama; term ends in June 2018.

Firing of Michael Flynn

On February 13, 2017, Trump fired Michael Flynn from the post of National Security Adviser, making Flynn's the shortest tenure in the history of the office.[35] The given reason for the termination was that he had lied to Vice President Pence about his communications with the Russian ambassador to the United States, Sergey Kislyak, with whom Flynn had discussed lifting sanctions against Russia if Donald Trump was elected President. Flynn was fired amidst the ongoing controversy concerning Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections and accusations that Trump's electoral team colluded with Russian agents. In May 2017, Sally Yates testified before Senate Judiciary's Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism that she had told White House Counsel Don McGahn in late January 2017 that Flynn had misled Vice President Mike Pence and other administration officials and warned that Flynn was potentially compromised by Russia. Flynn remained in his post for another two weeks and was fired after The Washington Post broke the story. Yates was fired by Donald Trump on January 30, two days after she warned Trump officials about Flynn.[36]

Firing of James Comey

Main article: Dismissal of James Comey

On May 9, 2017, Trump fired FBI Director James Comey. In explaining his decision to fire Comey, the Trump administration cited Comey's handling of the Hillary Clinton email controversy.[37] In firing Comey, Trump relied on a memo written by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein that criticized Comey for publicly announcing that the case involving Clinton's emails would not be prosecuted. Rosenstein argued that Comey overstepped his role and that the Justice Department determines whether a case should be prosecuted.[38] However, many critics of Trump accused him of using Comey's handling of the Clinton investigation as a pretext for Comey's dismissal; instead, these critics argue that Comey was dismissed due to his investigation into the Trump administration's ties with Russia.[39] Governance experts said that the firing of Comey was highly significant and abnormal, with the action raising concerns about checks and balances in American democracy broadly.[40] Days after firing Comey, Trump stated that he would have fired Comey regardless of Rosenstein's recommendations, describing Comey as a "showboat."[41] In a meeting with the Russian Foreign Minister and Ambassador to the US, Trump asserted Comey was a "nut job" and that this would relieve pressure off of him regarding his relationship with Russia.[42] In the aftermath of Comey's firing, various news outlets compared the firing to the "Saturday Night Massacre," a constitutional crisis that occurred during Richard Nixon's administration.[43][44][45]

Comey memos

Main article: Comey memos

Jason Chaffetz letter to FBI over Comey Memo

Comey wrote multiple memos concerning his interactions with President Trump and in one Trump attempted to persuade Comey to abort the investigation into General Flynn.[46][47][48][49][50][51] Director Comey would record a detailed memo during every meeting with President Donald Trump.[52] One memo referred to an February 14, 2017, Oval Office meeting between Comey and Trump, in which, according to the memo, the president stated "I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go. He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go."[48] Comey made no commitments to Trump on the subject.[48]

The Times reported that the memo, which is not classified, was part of a "paper trail" created by Comey to document "what he perceived as the president’s improper efforts to influence a continuing investigation".[48] Comey shared the memo with "a very small circle of people at the FBI and Justice Department."[53] Comey and other senior FBI officials perceived Trump's remarks "as an effort to influence the investigation, but they decided that they would try to keep the conversation secret — even from the F.B.I. agents working on the Russia investigation — so the details of the conversation would not affect the investigation."[48]

Two individuals who read the memo told the Times that "Comey created similar memos — including some that are classified — about every phone call and meeting he had with the president."[48] The Washington Post reported that two Comey associates who had seen Comey's memo described it as two pages long and highly detailed.[53] The Times noted that contemporaneous notes created by FBI agents are frequently relied upon "in court as credible evidence of conversations."[48]

Judicial nominees

Main article: Donald Trump Supreme Court candidates

Trump took office with a Supreme Court vacancy, which arose after the February 2016 death of Antonin Scalia. During his campaign, Trump released two lists of potential nominees to fill the vacancy caused by Scalia's death.[54] On January 31, 2017, Trump nominated federal appellate judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court.[55] Gorsuch's appointment was confirmed on April 7, 2017, after a 54–45 vote.[56] Prior to this nomination, 60 votes had been required for Supreme Court nominees to be moved to a confirmation vote over a filibuster, via invoking cloture. The 60-vote total previously needed to advance the vote was not met due to Democratic opposition. To allow the nomination to proceed, the "nuclear option" was deployed, requiring only a simple majority, 51 votes, for cloture for a nominee.[57]

The United States courts of appeals have several vacancies and the United States district courts also have dozens of vacancies for President Trump to fill.[58]

The Cabinet

Cabinet of President Donald J. Trump

Individual officially confirmed by a full Senate vote

Individual took office with no Senate consent needed

Individual's nomination officially reported by Senate committee

Individual was rejected by either a Senate committee or a full Senate vote

Individual's nomination pending Senate committee confirmation

Cabinet members

OfficeDate announced / confirmed

Designee

OfficeDate announced / confirmed

Designee

—
Vice PresidentAnnounced July 15, 2016
Took office January 20, 2017

Former GovernorMike Pencefrom Indiana

—
Secretary of StateAnnounced December 13, 2016
Took office February 1, 2017

Former ExxonMobil CEORex Tillersonfrom Texas

—
Secretary of the TreasuryAnnounced November 30, 2016
Took office February 13, 2017

Former OneWest Bank CEOSteven Mnuchinfrom California

—
Secretary of DefenseAnnounced December 1, 2016
Took office January 20, 2017

—
Secretary of the InteriorAnnounced December 15, 2016
Took office March 1, 2017

Former RepresentativeRyan Zinkefrom Montana

—
Secretary of AgricultureAnnounced January 18, 2017
Took office April 25, 2017

Former GovernorSonny Perduefrom Georgia

—
Secretary of CommerceAnnounced November 30, 2016
Took office February 28, 2017

Wilbur Rossfrom Florida

—
Secretary of LaborAnnounced February 16, 2017
Took office April 28, 2017

Former U.S. AttorneyAlex Acostafrom Florida

—
Secretary of Health and Human ServicesAnnounced November 29, 2016
Took office February 10, 2017

Former RepresentativeTom Pricefrom Georgia

—
Secretary of Housing and Urban DevelopmentAnnounced December 5, 2016
Took office March 2, 2017

Ben Carsonfrom Florida

—
Secretary of TransportationAnnounced November 29, 2016
Took office January 31, 2017

Former SecretaryElaine Chaofrom Kentucky

—
Secretary of EnergyAnnounced December 14, 2016
Took office March 2, 2017

Former GovernorRick Perryfrom Texas

—
Secretary of EducationAnnounced November 23, 2016
Took office February 7, 2017

Betsy DeVosfrom Michigan

—
Secretary of Veterans AffairsAnnounced January 11, 2017
Took office February 14, 2017

Former Under SecretaryDavid Shulkinfrom Pennsylvania

—
Secretary of Homeland SecurityAnnounced December 7, 2016
Took office January 20, 2017

Retired General (USMC)John F. Kellyfrom Virginia

Cabinet-level officials

OfficeDate announced / confirmed

Designee

OfficeDate announced / confirmed

Designee

—
White House Chief of StaffAnnounced November 13, 2016
Took office January 20, 2017

Former RNC ChairmanReince Priebusfrom Wisconsin

—
United States Trade RepresentativeAnnounced January 3, 2017
Took office May 15, 2017

Former Deputy USTRRobert Lighthizerfrom Florida

—
Director of National IntelligenceAnnounced January 7, 2017
Took office March 16, 2017

Former SenatorDan Coatsfrom Indiana

—
Ambassador to the United NationsAnnounced November 23, 2016
Took office January 27, 2017

Former GovernorNikki Haleyfrom South Carolina

—
Director of the
Office of Management and BudgetAnnounced December 16, 2016
Took office February 16, 2017

Former RepresentativeMick Mulvaneyfrom South Carolina

—
Director of the Central Intelligence AgencyAnnounced November 18, 2016
Took office January 23, 2017

Former RepresentativeMike Pompeofrom Kansas

—
Administrator of the
Environmental Protection AgencyAnnounced December 7, 2016
Took office February 17, 2017

Former Attorney GeneralScott Pruittfrom Oklahoma

—
Administrator of the
Small Business AdministrationAnnounced December 7, 2016
Took office February 14, 2017

Former WWE CEOLinda McMahonfrom Connecticut

Source: Trump Administration and NPR

Confirmation process

Below is a list of confirmations for Cabinet positions, Cabinet-level positions, and other significant positions that were approved through the Senate between January and May 2017, by a recorded roll-call vote, rather than by a voice vote.

Despite being nominated promptly during the transition period, many cabinet members were unable to take office on Inauguration Day because of delays in the formal confirmation process. As of 8 February 2017, President Trump had fewer cabinet nominees confirmed than any other president except George Washington by the same length of time into his presidency.[3][4] Part of the lateness was ascribed to the delays in submitting background-check paperwork, part to obstruction by Senate Democrats.[5] The last confirmed Cabinet member, Robert Lighthizer, took office as U.S. Trade Representative on May 11, 2017, four months after his nomination.[6]

Timeline

Senate votes

Senate Confirmation Votes of President Trump's Innaugural Cabinet

Jan. 20
James
MattisDefense
98-1

Jan. 20
John F.
KellyHomeland
88-11

Jan. 23
Mike
PompeoCIA
66-32

Jan. 25
Nikki
HaleyUN
96-4

Jan. 31
Elaine
ChaoTransport
93-6

Feb. 1
Rex
TillersonState
56-43

Feb. 7
Betsy
DeVosEducation
51*-50

Feb. 8
Jeff
SessionsAG
52-47

Feb. 10
Tom
PriceHealth
52-47

Feb. 13
Steven
MnuchinTreasury
53-47

Feb. 13
David
ShulkinVeterans
100-0

Feb. 14
Linda
McMahonSmall Business
81-19

Feb. 16
Mick
MulvaneyBudget
51-49

Feb. 17
Scott
PruittEnvironment
52-46

Feb. 27
Wilbur
RossCommerce
72-27

Mar. 1
Ryan
ZinkeInterior
68-31

Mar. 2
Ben
CarsonHousing
58-41

Mar. 2
Rick
PerryEnergy
62-37

Mar. 15
Dan
CoatsIntelligence
85-12

Apr. 25
Sonny
PerdueAgriculture
87-11

Apr. 27
Alex
AcostaLabor
60-38

May 11
Robert
LighthizerTrade
82-14

Candidates for the Cabinet positions

After election day, media outlets reported on persons described by various sources as possible appointments to senior positions in the incoming Trump presidency. The number of people which have received media attention as potential cabinet appointees is higher than in most previous presidential elections, partly because the Trump'16 campaign staff (and associated PACs) was significantly smaller and less expensive,[7] thus there are not as many people already expected to receive specific roles in the upcoming Trump administration. In particular, "Trump ha[d] a smaller policy brain trust [policy group] than a new president normally carries"[8] because as an anti-establishment candidate who began his campaign by largely self-funding his way to the Republican party nomination,[9] unlike most previous presidential winners "Trump does not have the traditional cadre of Washington insiders and donors to build out his Cabinet."[10] An additional factor that tends to make the field of potential nominees especially broad, is that unlike most presidential transition teams who select politicians as their appointees, the Trump transition team "has started with a mandate to hire from the private sector [as opposed to the governmental sector] whenever possible."[10]

Until the Trump Administration announces their official cabinet, and those nominees are confirmed by the Senate (where applicable), this page will continue to be updated with new information and potential positions. The membership of the presidential cabinet also tends to evolve during the course of the presidency; turnover often causes individual names to change, and more rarely, creation of new departments and merging/downsizing of existing departments can alter the size of the cabinet.

Secretary of State

Image

Name

Description

Richard Armitage

Former United States Deputy Secretary of State

John Bolton

Former United States Ambassador to the United Nations; former Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs

Bob Corker

U.S. Senator from Tennessee and Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee

Tulsi Gabbard

Democratic U.S. Representative from Hawaii's 2nd congressional district

Rudy Giuliani

Former United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, former Associate Attorney General, former Mayor of New York City

Richard Haass

President of the Council on Foreign Relations; former Director of Policy Planning for the United States Department of State

Jon Huntsman

Former Governor of Utah, former United States Ambassador to Singapore and United States Ambassador to China, and 2012 presidential candidate

Zalmay Khalilzad

Former United States Ambassador to the United Nations

Joe Manchin

Democratic U.S. Senator from West Virginia and vice chair of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee.

Alan Mulally

Former CEO of Ford Motor Company and former executive vice president of Boeing

Stanley McChrystal

Retired General of the United States Army, former Commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan

Hank Paulson

Former United States Secretary of the Treasury and CEO of Goldman Sachs

David Petraeus

Retired General of the United States Army, former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and Commander of United States Central Command, the Afghan International Security Assistance Force, and Iraq Multinational Force

Dana Rohrabacher

U.S. Representative for California's 48th congressional district; Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia and Emerging Threats; Speechwriter and Senior Assistant of President Ronald Reagan

Mitt Romney

Former Governor of Massachusetts and 2012 Republican presidential nominee

Jim Stavridis

Retired Admiral of the United States Navy, Dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, former Commander of the United States Southern Command, United States European Command, and Supreme Allied Commander Europe, finalist for Clinton's running mate

Rex Tillerson

Former CEO of ExxonMobil

Secretary of the Treasury

Image

Name

Description

John Allison

Former president and CEO of the Cato Institute. Also mentioned as a possible member of the Federal Reserve Board.

President and COO of Goldman Sachs Selected as Director of the National Economic Council.

Jamie Dimon

CEO of JPMorgan Chase, billionaire, formerly on the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, donor to and member of the Democratic party Dimon reportedly declined the role.

Jon Gray

Head of global real estate for the Blackstone Group

Jeb Hensarling

Chair of the House Financial Services Committee, U.S. Representative from Texas's 5th congressional district; former Chair of the Republican Study Committee and Chair of the House Republican Conference

Glenn Hubbard

Dean of the Columbia Business School, received media attention as a potential Treasury pick during mid-2016.[39][40] Former advisor to Bush'16, chair of the Council of Economic Advisers under George W. Bush, held a high-level role[39] under George H. W. Bush, advisor to Romney'12 (reportedly a leading contender for Treasury secretary had Romney been elected).[41] Also mentioned as a potential contender for Fed chair, in 2018.

Carl Icahn

Chairman of Icahn Enterprises.

David McCormick

President of Bridgewater Associates; former Undersecretary for International Affairs at the U.S. Department of the Treasury

Former Governor of Minnesota,[12] CEO since 2012 of financial services industry lobbyist and advocacy group Financial Services Roundtable, 2012 presidential candidate (then later co-chair of Romney'12)

Kevin Warsh

Former Federal Reserve governor

Secretary of Defense

Image

Name

Description

Kelly Ayotte

Outgoing U.S. Senator from New Hampshire. (Although mentioned as a potential nominee for this role, Trump said in an interview that he did not plan to offer Ayotte this position.)[47]

Tom Cotton

U.S. Senator from Arkansas

Tulsi Gabbard

Democratic U.S. Representative from Hawaii's 2nd congressional district

Stephen Hadley

Former U.S. National Security Advisor

Duncan D. Hunter[nb 1]

U.S. Representative for California's 50th congressional district

Jack Keane

Former Vice Chief of Staff of the Army. Stated he declined an offer to be nominated as Secretary.

Jon Kyl

Former U.S. Senator from Arizona

James Mattis

Retired United States Marine Corps General; former commander of CENTCOM

David Petraeus

Former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency

Jim Talent

Former U.S. Senator from Missouri who was on the Senate Armed Services Committee

Jim Woolsey

Former Director of Central Intelligence

Attorney General

Image

Name

Description

Pam Bondi

Attorney General of Florida

Chris Christie

Governor of New Jersey, former United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey

Ted Cruz

U.S. Senator from Texas and 2016 presidential candidate

Trey Gowdy

Chair of the House Benghazi Committee, U.S. Representative from South Carolina's 4th congressional district

Rudy Giuliani

Former United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, former Associate Attorney General, former Mayor of New York City

Kris Kobach

Secretary of State of Kansas

Henry McMaster

Governor of South Carolina

Jeff Sessions

U.S. Senator from Alabama; Member of the United States Senate Committee on Armed Services from Alabama; Former Attorney of the Southern District of Alabama

Secretary of the Interior

Image

Name

Description

Jan Brewer

Former Governor of Arizona[12]

Mary Fallin

Governor of Oklahoma[48]

Robert Grady

Venture capitalist and private equity investor,[38] former head of OMB's natural resources, energy, and science unit; aide to Chris Christie and former chair of the New Jersey Investment Council overseeing the state's public employee pension fund for the New Jersey Treasury Department,[61] environmental adviser and speechwriter under George H. W. Bush who helped negotiate the Clean Air Act of 1990[61]

Harold Hamm

CEO of Continental Resources (oil and natural gas), billionaire, from Oklahoma.[38] (Although considered a likely pick for a position in the Trump administration, Hamm said he did not intend to accept an official role.[62][63])

Chair of the House Republican Conference, U.S. Representative from Washington's 5th congressional district.[67] (Although media reports on December 9, 2016 suggested Rodgers was unofficially the expected pick for Secretary of the Interior,[nb 2][82] instead Zinke of Montana became the expected pick as of December 13, 2016.)

Secretary of Agriculture

Former U.S. Representative from Texas's 23rd congressional district[89]

Sam Brownback

Governor of Kansas; former U.S. Senator and Congressman[38]

Susan Combs

Former Texas Agriculture Commissioner; former Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts[90]

Chuck Conner

Former United States Deputy Secretary of Agriculture[91][92]

Rick Crawford

U.S. Representative from Arkansas's 1st congressional district[93]

Dave Heineman

Former Governor of Nebraska[48]

Heidi Heitkamp

Democratic U.S. Senator from North Dakota[94]

Charles Herbster

Cattleman and agribusinessman; head of Trump campaign's agricultural advisory committee[91][92]

Tim Huelskamp

Former U.S. Representative from Kansas's 1st congressional district[95]

Jack Kingston

Former United States Representative from Georgia's 1st congressional district[96]

Abel Maldonado

Former Lieutenant Governor of California[97][98]

Sid Miller

Texas Agriculture Commissioner[99]

Jerry Moran

U.S. Senator from Kansas[100]

Elsa Murano

Former President of Texas A&M University[101]

Kristi Noem

U.S. Representative from South Dakota's at-large congressional district since 2011,[102] professional farmer/rancher since age 22, House Ways and Means committee member (declined position)

Butch Otter

Governor of Idaho[103]

Sonny Perdue

Former Governor of Georgia[38][104][105]

Bruce Rastetter

Agricultural business leader; President of the Iowa Board of Regents[91][106]

Annette Sweeney

Former member of the Iowa House of Representatives, executive director of the Iowa Angus Association[91]

Secretary of Commerce

Image

Name

Description

Eric Bolling

Fox News anchor, co-host of The Five[107]

Chris Christie

Governor of New Jersey; 2016 presidential candidate[108]

Dan DiMicco

Former CEO of Nucor; advisor on trade to Donald Trump[108]

Lew Eisenberg

Finance Chairman of the Republican National Committee.[34]

Mike Huckabee

Former Governor of Arkansas and 2016 presidential candidate.[34]

Linda McMahon

Professional wrestling magnate; twice former Republican U.S. Senate nominee for Connecticut[109]

Wilbur Ross

Investor[46] at Invesco, billionaire specializing in bankruptcy-turnarounds, co-leader of the economic policy advisor team to Trump'16,[110] previously backed fellow Floridian Rubio'16,[111][112] privatization advisor to then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani, board member of USAID-funded TUSRIF appointed by the Bill Clinton administration,[113] and former Democrat[114] whose then-spouse was the Republican-party Lt. Governor of New York

Peter Thiel

Cofounder of PayPal[34]

Secretary of Labor

Image

Name

Description

Alex Acosta

Dean of the Florida International University College of Law, former member of the United States Commission on Civil Rights and former U.S. Attorney for Southern District of Florida[115]

Former U.S. Representative for Minnesota's 2nd congressional district[67]

Peter Kirsanow

Attorney, member of the United States Commission on Civil Rights, former National Labor Relations Board member (2006-2008)[48][115]

Victoria Lipnic

Member of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment Standards[14][16]

Andy Puzder

CEO of CKE Restaurants,[48] delegate to Republican National Convention platform committee in 2012 and 2016,[117][118][119] backed comprehensive immigration reform in 2013,[120] supports defederalization of minimum wage regulations because he believes increases in the minimum wage end up actually costing jobs through the unintended consequence of increasing automation.[121]

Catherine Templeton

Former Director of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control; former Director of the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation[122][115]

Scott Walker

Governor of Wisconsin; 2016 presidential candidate[123]

Secretary of Health and Human Services

Image

Name

Description

Rich Bagger

Executive Vice President of Celgene; former transition executive director, former New Jersey State Senator[95]

Ben Carson

Retired neurosurgeon, former professor at Johns Hopkins University, presidential candidate in 2016 (endorsed Trump shortly after suspending his own campaign)[124]

Mike Huckabee

Former Governor of Arkansas; former Chair of the National Governors Association; 2016 presidential candidate[12]

Bobby Jindal

Former Governor of Louisiana; 2016 presidential candidate[12]

Tom Price

Chair of the House Budget Committee, U.S. Representative for Georgia's 6th congressional district, orthopedic surgeon[125]

Rick Scott

Governor of Florida[12]

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

Image

Name

Description

Rob Astorino

Westchester County Executive[126]

Scott Brown

Former U.S. Senator from Massachusetts[127]

Ben Carson

2016 presidential candidate and former director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital[128]

Pam Patenaude

President of the J. Ronald Terwilliger Foundation for Housing America's Families[129]

Bob Woodson

Community development leader, Founder and President of the National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise[67]

Secretary of Transportation

First Taiwanese American served in President's cabinet: Former Labor Secretary under President George W. Bush, and Deputy Secretary of Transportation under President George H. W. Bush, wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell[131][132]

Harold Ford Jr.

Former Democratic U.S. Representative from Tennessee's 9th congressional district[133]

John Mica

Former Chair of the House Transportation Committee, Outgoing U.S. Representative from Florida's 7th congressional district[134]

Mark Rosenker

Former Chair of the National Transportation Safety Board[48]

Jim Simpson

Former New Jersey Commissioner of Transportation; Former Federal Transit Administrator[48]

Shirley Ybarra

Former senior transportation policy analyst at the Reason Foundation, former Virginia Secretary of Transportation[135]

Secretary of Energy

Image

Name

Description

James Connaughton

Chief executive of Nautilus Data Technologies and former Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality[12]

Kevin Cramer

U.S. Representative from North Dakota's at-large congressional district[136]

Myron Ebell

Chair of the Cooler Heads Coalition; director of the Center for Energy and Environment at the Competitive Enterprise Institute and leading climate change skeptic[67]

Robert Grady

Venture capitalist and private equity investor,[38] former head of OMB's natural resources, energy, and science unit; aide to Chris Christie and former chair of the New Jersey Investment Council overseeing the state's public employee pension fund for the New Jersey Treasury Department,[61] environmental adviser and speechwriter under George H. W. Bush who helped negotiate the Clean Air Act of 1990[61]

Harold Hamm

CEO of Continental Resources (oil and natural gas), billionaire, from Oklahoma.[14][137] (Although considered a likely pick for a position in the Trump administration, Hamm said he did not intend to accept an official role.[62][63])

Heidi Heitkamp

Democratic U.S. Senator from North Dakota[64][138]

Joe Manchin

Democratic U.S. Senator from West Virginia and vice chair of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee.[138][139]

J. Larry Nichols

Chairman (emeritus) of Devon Energy Corporation[86]

Rick Perry

Former Governor of Texas, 2016 presidential candidate[138][140][141]

Ray Washburne

Dallas-based investor and the vice chairman of the 2016 Trump Victory Committee[138][142]

Secretary of Education

Image

Name

Description

Tony Bennett

Former Florida Education Commissioner; former Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction[48]

Kevin Chavous

Member of the Council of the District of Columbia from Ward 7[48]

Ben Carson

former professor at Johns Hopkins University, retired neurosurgeon, presidential candidate in 2016 (endorsed Trump shortly after suspending his own campaign)[124]

Mitch Daniels

President of the Purdue University System; former Governor of Indiana; former Director of the Office of Management and Budget[48]

Betsy DeVos

Former Chair of the Michigan Republican Party[48]

Bill Evers

Resident Scholar at the Hoover Institution; Senior Advisor to the United States Secretary of Education[38]

Jerry Falwell

President of Liberty University. Stated he declined an offer to be nominated as Secretary.[143]

Luke Messer

U.S. Representative from Indiana's 6th congressional district[48]

Eva Moskowitz

Founder and CEO of Success Academy Charter Schools[144]

Michelle Rhee

Former Chancellor of District of Columbia Public Schools[48]

Gerald Robinson

Former Virginia Education Secretary[48]

Secretary of Veterans Affairs

Image

Name

Description

Bob McDonald

Incumbent Secretary of Veterans Affairs [145]

Thad Allen

Former Commandant of the Coast Guard[146]

Scott Brown

Former U.S. Senator from Massachusetts[147][148][149]

Toby Cosgrove

CEO of Cleveland Clinic,[150] heart surgeon, Vietnam vet.[102] Offered this role by Barack Obama in 2014, but ultimately turned it down; critic of Obamacare.[151] Reported to have been Trump's second choice after Luis Quinonez, but to have refused the position again.[152]

United States Navy admiral, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe[155]

Leo Mackay, Jr.

Senior Vice President of Lockheed Martin, former United States Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs[156]

Jeff Miller

Former Chair of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, Former U.S. Representative from Florida's 1st congressional district[157]

Sarah Palin

2008 vice presidential nominee; former Governor of Alaska[158][159]

Luis Quinonez

CEO of IQ Management Services.[150] Reported to have been Trump's first choice, but to have withdrawn his name from consideration for health reasons.[152]

Mitt Romney

Former Governor of Massachusetts and 2012 Republican presidential nominee[160]

David Shulkin

Current Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health[161]

Allen West

Former U.S. Representative from Florida's 22nd congressional district and Former Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army.[162]

Secretary of Homeland Security

Image

Name

Description

Joe Arpaio

Outgoing Sheriff of Maricopa County[12]

David Clarke

Sheriff of Milwaukee County[56]

Rudy Giuliani

former Mayor of New York City, 2008 presidential candidate, former United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, former Associate Attorney General.[124]

John F. Kelly

Retired United States Marine Corps General and the former commander of United States Southern Command[163]

Pete King

U.S. Representative from New York's 2nd congressional district; former Chair of the House Homeland Security Committee[164]

Steve King

U.S. Representative from Iowa's 4th congressional district[165]

Kris Kobach

Secretary of State of Kansas; former chairman of the Kansas Republican Party[166]

Mike McCaul

Chair of the House Homeland Security Committee; U.S. Representative from Texas's 10th congressional district[38]

Frances Townsend

Former United States Homeland Security Advisor[28]

Candidates for Cabinet-level officials

Cabinet-level officials have positions that are considered to be of Cabinet level, but which are not part of the Cabinet. Which exact positions are considered part of the presidential cabinet, can vary with the president. The CIA and FEMA were cabinet-level agencies under Bill Clinton, but not George W. Bush. The head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (aka the drug czar) was a cabinet-level position under both Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, but not under Barack Obama. (Not to be confused with the head of the DEA, who has remained in the org chart underneath the cabinet position held by the Attorney General.) Designation of an agency as being cabinet-level requires[citation needed] that Congress enact legislation, although executive orders unilaterally created by the president can be used to create many other types of position inside the executive branch.[citation needed] Members of the cabinet proper, as well as cabinet-level officials, meet with the president in a room adjacent to the Oval Office.

Vice President

There were dozens of potential running mates for Trump who received media speculation (including several from New York where Trump himself resides). Trump's eventual pick of Governor Mike Pence of Indiana was officially announced on July 16, 2016 and confirmed by acclamation via parliamentary procedure amongst delegates to the 2016 Republican National Convention on July 19, 2016.

White House Chief of Staff

Image

Name

Description

Steve Bannon

CEO of the 2016 presidential campaign of Donald Trump.[167] (Although he was a contender for the role of Chief of Staff, instead Bannon was appointed as White House Chief Strategist on November 13, 2016.)

Newt Gingrich[citation needed]

Former Speaker of the House from Georgia. (Gingrich has said[citation needed] he does not plan to accept a Cabinet position within the Trump administration, but prefers[citation needed] to be involved with long-term planning efforts.)

Reince Priebus

Chair of the Republican National Committee[14][16]

This position does not require confirmation by the Senate.

Director of the Office of Management and Budget

Image

Name

Description

Tom Coburn

Former U.S. Senator from Oklahoma; endorsed Marco Rubio in the primaries and caucuses.[48]

Gary Cohn

President of Goldman Sachs[168] Selected as Director of the National Economic Council.

David Malpass

President of Encima Global, former Chief Economist of Bear Stearns[67]

Mick Mulvaney

U.S. Representative for South Carolina's 5th congressional district; endorsed Rand Paul during the primaries and caucuses.[67][169]

Linda Springer

Former Director of the United States Office of Personnel Management[67]

Ambassador to the United Nations

Image

Name

Description

Kelly Ayotte

Former U.S. Senator from New Hampshire[12]

Richard Grenell

Former spokesman for the United States Ambassador to the United Nations[12]

Nikki Haley

Governor of South Carolina

Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency

Image

Name

Description

Carol Comer

Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management[170]

Myron Ebell

Chair of the Cooler Heads Coalition; director of the Center for Energy and Environment at the Competitive Enterprise Institute and leading climate change skeptic;[84][171] Member of the Trump presidential transition team.

Robert Grady

Venture capitalist and private equity investor,[12] former head of OMB's natural resources, energy, and science unit; aide to Chris Christie and former chair of the New Jersey Investment Council overseeing the state's public employee pension fund for the New Jersey Treasury Department,[61]environmental adviser and speechwriter under George H. W. Bush who helped negotiate the Clean Air Act of 1990[61]

Kathleen Hartnett White

Director of the energy and environment center at the Texas Public Policy Foundation; former chairwoman of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality[172]

Jeff Holmstead

Lawyer for Bracewell LLP; Former Deputy Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency[12]

Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality[172]

United States Trade Representative

Image

Name

Description

Wayne Berman

Senior executive at the Blackstone Group[173]

Charles Boustany

Former U.S. Representative from Louisiana, candidate (lost during the jungle primary) for U.S. Senator from Louisiana in 2016[174]

Jovita Carranza

Former Deputy Administrator of the Small Business Administration[175]

Dan DiMicco

Former CEO of steel producer Nucor[170]

Robert Lighthizer

Former Deputy U.S. Trade Representative[173] under Reagan, lawyer at Skadden Arps; is a leading contender for the role according to anonymous transition team sources.[176] Supported pro-tariff portion of Trump's trade policies in 2011, citing pre-WWII history of the Republicans.[177]

David McCormick

President of Bridgewater Associates[173]

Director of National Intelligence

Image

Name

Description

Ronald Burgess

Retired United States Army Lieutenant General and former Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency

Robert Cardillo

Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency

Dan Coats

Former U.S. Senator from Indiana and member of the Senate Intelligence Committee

Carly Fiorina

Former CEO of Hewlett-Packard and 2016 presidential candidate

Peter Hoekstra

Former Chair of the House Intelligence Committee

David Petraeus

Former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency under Obama, and retired four-star General of the U.S. Army.[180] Was also considered for Secretary of Defense[55] and for Secretary of State.

Michael S. Rogers

A U.S. Navy admiral, commander of U.S. Cyber Command, director of the National Security Agency, and chief of the Central Security Service.

Frances Townsend

Former United States Homeland Security Advisor[12]

Administrator of the Small Business Administration

Image

Name

Description

Mary Anne Bradfield

Former assistant deputy administrator of the Small Business Administration; head of Donald Trump's SBA transition team

Steve Chabot

Chair of the House Small Business Committee, U.S. Representative from Ohio's 1st congressional district

Bruce Levell

Co-founder of the National Diversity Coalition for Trump

Linda McMahon

Former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO, 2010 and 2012 Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from Connecticut

Christine Toretti

Chairman and CEO of S.W. Jack Drilling Company

Removal of the Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers

Further information: Political appointments of Donald Trump § Chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers

On February 8, 2017 President Trump outlined the 24 members of the Cabinet with the Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers excluded.[185][186] In addition to the chair, there are two other members of the council (also appointed by the president), as well as a staff of economists, researchers, and statisticians.

Personal Information

Presidency of Donald Trump began at noon EST on January 20, 2017, the day that Donald Trump became the 45th President of the United States, succeeding Barack Obama. Trump, a Republican, was a businessman from New York City at the time of his victory in the 2016 presidential election over Democrat Hillary Clinton. His running mate, former Governor Mike Pence of Indiana, took office as the 48th Vice President of the United States on the same day. At age 70, Trump is the oldest person to assume the presidency, and the first without prior government or military experience. Trump’s term in office is set to end on January 20, 2021, and he is eligible to be elected to a second term.